HONOLULU – The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Office of the Securities Commissioner invites teams to participate in the 2018-2019 Hawaii LifeSmarts Competition.

LifeSmarts is a free, national educational program that teaches students critical life skills in five key areas: Personal Finance, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, the Environment, and Technology through online quizzes and in-person competitions. Teams must consist of one adult coach/teacher and at least four students.

The online portion of the competition will be open from Monday, October 22 to Friday, December 7, 2018 at 7 p.m. HST. The four highest scoring high school teams will be invited to compete at the state championship competition in Honolulu on February 9, 2019. The winning team will represent Hawaii at the national LifeSmarts competition, scheduled for April 13-16, 2019 in Orlando, FL.

“We encourage teams to sign up and take advantage of this national program,” said Securities Commissioner Ty Nohara. “It’s a great opportunity for students to learn about ‘real world’ concepts and gain the skills needed to succeed.”

Middle school or “Junior Varsity” (JV) teams with students in grades 6-8 may participate in an online-only competition from August 1, 2018 to December 7, 2018. Winners of the JV competition will be recognized online.

The Hawaii LifeSmarts program is locally sponsored by the DCCA Office of the Securities Commissioner, in partnership with the Hawaii Credit Union League, and is run by the National Consumers League. Nearly 1,500 local students have participated in Hawaii LifeSmarts since 2005. Local businesses interested in becoming a sponsor of the Hawaii LifeSmarts program are welcome to contact the State Coordinator for more information.